Dodgy alarms, patients storing flammable medicine in their bedrooms, and out of date gas certificates.

These are just some of the problems that a government body has identified within a Macclesfield carehome.

Riseley House Care Home located on Riseley Street, Macclesfield, has been put into special measures following an 'inadequate' rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The establishment, which can house up to 67 people but currently houses 22, was recently visited by two inspectors.

They found inconsistent record-keeping, a lack of engagement or activities for residents, and hygiene concerns over a room smelling of urine across the three-day period of inspection.

The summary of their findings described the site as 'not well-led'.

The previous inspection rating was 'requires improvement', in September 2023. Unfortunately for Riseley, they have now been downgraded to 'inadequate'.

In the latest report, motion sensors and alert buttons were found to be not working, posing a risk to safety. Furthermore, the lift had not been serviced.

The layout of the old people's home was also criticised for not being that dementia-friendly, with signage recommended to be installed.

More positively, praise was highlighted for their relationship with Macclesfield Hospital and the NHS. Residents and their family members also told inspectors about praise they had for Riseley House.

And indeed, the residents themselves that were interviewed indicated they felt safe. Also as a plus, the service user's meals were praised for their nutrition.

The levels of staff were deemed appropriate for residents needs, which showed an improvement from prior inspections.

For adult social care services, being in special measures does not last longer than 12 months, with another inspection earmarked in six months time.

So a turnaround is expected by this time next year, and Macclesfield Nub News has reached out to Riseley House for comment to find out how they will address the need for improvement.

Edmund Carley, owner of Riseley House Care Home in Macclesfield, said: "Since the CQC inspection we have taken swift action to review and change our processes.

"As well as being in the process of appointing a new manager and a new Nominated Individual, we have partnered with the leading carehome consultancy Caresolve to provide strategic and operational support as well as staff training.

"We are implementing Person Centred Software to better manage and document all aspects of our residential care to allow for better quality control. These various actions and others are part of an ongoing programme of investment.

"We have received very positive feedback from several industry professionals in recent weeks who can see the progress we are making.

"At Riseley House Care Home, we pride ourselves on putting the care of our residents at the centre of our decision making and I'm confident that our team is delivering care to a high standard.

"We're looking forward to the next CQC inspection which we fully anticipate will highlight the improvements we have delivered."

Riseley House opened in 2022 and is run by Laurel Bank Residential Care Limited, who run other care villages which have a 'Good' CQC rating.

Riseley provides personal care for older people, including people living with dementia, as well as people needing rehabilitation after being discharged from Macclesfield Hospital before they go back home.

As well as their Macclesfield site being placed into special measures, the CQC has served two warning notices to Laurel to make sure they are providing safe care and treatment to people living at the service, and have good governance systems in place.

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north said: "When we inspected Riseley House Care Home, we were disappointed to find leaders still hadn't addressed our previous areas of concern which placed people at a continued risk of harm."

"Leaders weren't monitoring issues and risks effectively and didn't always notify us quickly when incidents occurred. When people had recurrent falls, there was no evidence the provider had looked into the circumstances to see what lessons could be learned.

"Leaders also weren't ensuring that the home environment was safe or that equipment was checked as regularly as it should be. We found several motion sensors and alert buttons were broken, which were in place to support people who were at high risk of falls. This issue had been previously highlighted by another agency, but the provider had not acted on these concerns, and this put people at risk of harm.

"Staff were doing their best to provide respectful and safe care but weren't being supported to access all the training they needed to carry out their roles. At a previous inspection leaders told us they would take steps to ensure staff were suitably trained to support the people they cared for, but this had still not taken place.

"Care plans weren't always updated when people's needs changed. We found several people who had skin integrity risks hadn't had their care plans updated, which meant staff lacked guidance on how to support them to reduce the risks of skin damage. Inspectors saw someone who was frequently distressed, but there was no guidance in their care plan on how staff should support them.

"In addition, people and their families weren't always involved in planning their care. We found at a previous inspection that people's care notes were focused on tasks rather than their wellbeing and interactions in the home, and this practice hadn't changed. There was no evidence that people's social and emotional needs were being met, or that they took part in any activities.

"We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, widespread improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We will return to check on their progress and won't hesitate to take further action if people aren't receiving the high level of care they deserve."

The full report can be found HERE, but if you are short on time a summary can be read HERE.